Work-holding device for flat platens.



H. A. FOOTHORAP.

Hm HOLDING DEVICE FOR FLAT PLATENS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 14. I914.

Patented Dec. 5,19l6.

amas 2 SHEETSSHEET I.

H. A. FOOTHORAP. I

WORK HOLDING DEVICE FOR FLAT PLATENS.

. APPLICATION man DEC-14.19M-

LQU'K-lfifi Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

m D c parent ci riicia Hanmr ABTHUR roornoiaar, or HARRISBURG, rnnivsrrivanra, assrenoa 'ro nnmorr-rrsnne COMPANY, or rrauarsnuae, PENNSYLVANIA, a CORPORATION 7 OF DELAWARE WORK-HGLDING DEVICE FOR FLAT IPLATEN'S.

News

Toall whom/ it may concern.-

Be it'known that I, HARRY ARTHUR F001- HoRAP, a citizen of the United States ofporting andholding devices for billing" ma- The object of the invention is to so com blue the platen and apluralityof work retaining devices that certain of the work elements or'sheets may be displaced, replaced or adjusted without disturbing certain other of the work sheets.-

Considered in a more specific aspect, the

' object of theinvention is to combine with a .depressible fiat platen, work holding devices normally retaining the work sheets 1n positwnto be printed upon but operated in succession as the platen is depressed tc release successive work sheets or sets of sheets; Otherobjects ot' the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan viewof. a fiat platen equipped in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan viewof the platen. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on't-he line 3--3 of 2. Fig. 4 is .a sectional view of one end of the platen, a clamp and the mounting of the latplates 3 screwed or otherwise suitably sergcured to end plates 4:. Along opposite edges ,iofthe platen extend the tracks or guides 5 which accommodate the traveling type-wr tiiigmachine, not shown, which is ordinarily used to print the record on the worksheets.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 19%.

Application riled December 14, 1914. Serial No. 877,218.

The tracks or guides 57, are rigidly secured to the upper edges of the plates 3 and usually extend somewhat in rear of the platenframe and are connected by a transverse bar 6. The tracks 5, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention are made of sufficient width to extend over the opposite side margins of the platen to form fixed clamps 7 which coact with the'platen to rc- 'tain work elements securely in position on the latter.-'

It will be understood, that the platen,

utilized as an element of the present invention, is ordinarily sustained by platen supportingsprings 8 located adjacentto the corners of the platen and carried by transverse bars 9 screwed to the side members of the platen frame. The springs 8 are of suflicient strength to hold the platen with its up per surface in clamping relation to the clamps 7 so that one or more work elements interposed between the platen and one or both of the clamps will be securely held in position. The platen depressing means includes in this instance apair of rock shafts 9, disposed longitudinally of the platen frame with their ends engaging varying screws 10 secured in the end members of the platen frame. Secured to the shafts 9 are two arms or levers 11 having loose pivotal connection at their inner ends, as indicated at 12, and also having pivotal connection with the platen through the instrumentality of a pair of lugs 13 depending from blocks l-twhich are screwed or otherwise secured to the platen. A pintle 15 is passed through each arm or lever 11 adjacent to the rock shaftaud through the adjacent pair of lugs 13. Adjacent to the opposite end of the platen, the shafts?) are equipped with additional arms 16 having their ends pivctally connected with the platen in a manner similar to the connection between the platen and the arms 11. Depending from the pivotal connection 12 between the arms 11 is a flexible piece or chain 17 which may be connected to a treadle or other suitable device, not shown, which facilitates the downward swinging of the arms '11 and the consequent depression of the platen 1 against the resistance of the springs 8.

generally speaking, the structure thus far described is not novel with this application vexcept, perhaps, as to certain specific details but is shown and described with particularity because it enters into eilicient combination with a novel feature to be now described. 1

It was pointed out at the beginning of this specification that oneot the ebjects' of this invention is to so mount and equip the platen that upon the depression thereof certain of the work elements will be released independently of another or others which will be securely retained or held against the platen while the released sheets are being adjusted, displaced or replaced. Located in this particular instance at the rear end of the platen is what may be termed an intermediate work clamp 18. This clamp 18 is intended to coact with the platen, not only when the platen is in its fully elevated position but also during a movement of the platen suliicient to move the latter out of cooperative or clamping relation to the clamps 7. This will cause the clamp 18 to hold certain of the work sheets clamped secure y against the platen even after the latter has been depressed suliici'ently to release the sheets held by either of the clamps 7. It is intended, however, that further movement of the platen will also cause the intermediate clamp 18. to be separated from the platen and to thus release the work sheets held by the clamp 18 at a time subsequent to the re lease ofthe sheets held by the clamp 7. To

" attain this purpose, the clamp 18 is made" in the form of a metal strip provided with lugs 19 having plungers 20 extended within and guided byplunger sockets 21, formed by boring the rear end member 4 of the platen frame and counterboring the same to form an internal shoulder or abutment 22 for onecnd of a spring 23 and circling the lower end of the plunger and bearing upon a headed screw 24: screwed into the lower end of the plunger 20. The springs 23 tend to draw down the plunger 20 and with them the intermediate clamp 18. Nor- ,m ally, however, the clamp 18 is held elevated bythe platen and occupies approximatelythe same horizontal plane as the clamps 7. Provision is made, however, for limited downward movement of the clamp 18 from its normal plane, such movement being accommodated either by cutting out the upper edge of the rear frame bar 4 or 'by dropping the upper edge of said bar sufficiently below the normal position of the lugs 19 to permit more or less movement of thelatter and of the clamp '18 with the platen, as-the latter is depressed. This re lation of'the clamps 7 and 18 will be clearly understood by comparing Figs. i and For instance, in Fig. 4:, the platen is in its elevated position and both the clamps 7 and mediate position, shown in Fig. 5, the shes retained by the fixed clamps 7 will have a dropped away from said clamps and will .thus have been released, while the other sheet or sheets, held by the clamp 18, will still be securely held upon the platen since the clamp 18 and theplaten have thus far "F descended in unison, that is to say, without disturbing their clamping relation. If new the platen is further depressed, as, for instance, to the-dotted line position in Fig. 5, it will move away from the clamp 18, which has already reached the downward limit ol its movement and the Work elements which have been held by the clamp 18 will conse quently be released.

It is thought from the foregoing that the construction and operation of my platen and its equipment of work holding means will be clearly understood but I reserve the right to eliect such modifications of the illustrated structure as may come fairly within the scope of the defined invention.

What I claim 1s:

, The combination with a platen and work holding members, said platen and holding members being relatively movable to separate the same, of means whereby the separation of the platen and the respective work holders will be ellected in succession.

2. The combination with a depressible platen, of work holding devices operative in succpssion by the depression of the platen to release successive work elements.

3. The combination with a platen depressibl from its normal position, of separate work holding devices coacting with the platen in the normal position thereof to retain the work elements, the depression of said platen efltecting the release of work ele ments held by one of said work holding devices and another of said work holding de- 110 vices being operative to continue the retention of the sheet or sheets held thereby.

4-. The combination with a depressible platen, of workholding devices coacting therewith rendered ineliective by dill'erent 115 degrees of movement of said platen from its normal position.

5. The combination with a depressible platen, of a work clamp retained in relatively stationary relation to the platen and 1 0 a second work clamp having limited movement with the platen.

G. The combination with a depressible platen, of a stationary work chimp and a second work clamp having limited more- 125 ment with the platen and held stationary during the final movement of said platen.

7. The combination with a platen frame, of a platen deprcssible in the frame and a work clamp carried by the frame and co- 13 acting with the platen, said. Work clamp being movable with the platen during a portion only of the platen movement.

, 8. The combination with a platen frame and a (lepressible platen therein, of a work clamp carried by the frame and -c0acting with the platen and reactive means for moving the clam'p relative to the platen frame. 9. The combination with a platen frame, of a depressible platen therein and a clamp carried by the platen frame, said clamp coacting with the platen in the normal position thereof and moving with said platen during a portion only of the movement of said platen toward and away from its normal position.

10. The combination with a platen frame, of a depressible platen therein and a spring pressed clamp carried by the platen frame and coacting with the platen.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY ARTHUR FOOTHORAP.

Vitnesses \V. J. EVERT, EDWIN FLOYD.

tlopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

